{"id":64,"date":"2026-07-27T11:58:37","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T11:58:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nexorpulsenews.wiki\/?p=64"},"modified":"2026-07-27T11:58:37","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T11:58:37","slug":"woman-defended-violent-thug-in-court-then-brutally-stabbed-her-to-death","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nexorpulsenews.wiki\/?p=64","title":{"rendered":"Woman defended violent thug in court \u2013 then brutally stabbed her to death"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n

WARNING, GRAPHIC CONTENT: Matthew Robertson Terry\u2019s attempted murder charge was reduced to simple assault in 2017 after character witness Kay Baker testified on his behalf \u2014 five years later, Terry murdered Baker in a fatal knife attack.<\/h2>\n
\"Matthew<\/figure>\n

When Matthew Terry was released on bond after stabbing Michelle Rogers, he reached out to Kay Baker, his high school ex-girlfriend(Image: Facebook)<\/p>\n

A witness who testified in defense of a man accused of a vicious knife attack was later brutally killed by the same individual she had supported in court.<\/p>\n

In 2017, Michelle Rogers was savagely stabbed by her then-partner, Matthew Robertson Terry. \u201cMatt Terry had attacked me that night when he returned from a bar,\u201d she told a court.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe had stabbed me seven times, beaten me quite badly, broken my nose, and given me a concussion. I said to him \u2018Why are you doing this? I love you,\u2019 and he said, \u201cNo, you don\u2019t. F*** you, I\u2019m going to kill you, reports Daily Star.<\/p>\n

Rogers disclosed to a Channel 4 documentary team that Terry\u2019s family had secured a \u201cvery expensive\u201d attorney to defend him in court.<\/p>\n

The lawyer successfully presented multiple character witnesses who helped reduce Terry\u2019s charge from attempted murder to simple assault.<\/p>\n

\"Kay<\/figure>\n

Though Kay Baker\u2019s testimony helped Terry secure a reduced sentence, she was tragically murdered by him only five months after his release(Image: Hillsborough County Sheriff\u2019s Office)<\/p>\n

2026 World Cup Golden Ball Odds: Kane Favored to Win Player of the Tournamen<\/strong>s<\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

2026 NFL Uniforms: Baltimore Ravens Debut \u2018Next Flight\u2019 Collection<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Get the latest news and updates from the Mirror US<\/strong>Subscribe<\/p>\n

You agree you are 18 or over. We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you\u2019ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. Unsubscribe at any time. More info<\/p>\n

Among those key witnesses was a teacher named Kay Baker. Five years later, Kay would be savagely murdered, practically beheaded by Terry in a violent attack that chillingly mirrored his assault on Rogers.<\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Baker was found just after midnight on May 28, 2022 by a neighbor in Lithia, Florida. The 43-year-old mother of two was barely alive, having sustained multiple stab wounds to her neck and shoulder.<\/p>\n

Police later revealed that the \u201cdeep and large\u201d wounds to her throat suggested someone had tried to decapitate her entirely.<\/p>\n

Baker acted as a character witness for Terry<\/h3>\n

Florida prosecutor Justin Diaz described the harrowing scene: \u201cKay Baker is lying face down on the ground in the yard of her neighbor. With every beat of her heart, her life is ending.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hours before, Kay had been sharing drinks with Terry at a neighborhood bar.<\/p>\n

Security footage from the establishment showed she nearly bumped into another customer while returning from the restroom, and had playfully \u201cdanced\u201d with the stranger for a brief moment as they worked out how to pass each other.<\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

That brief encounter was sufficient to trigger Terry\u2019s jealousy.<\/p>\n

\"Terry<\/figure>\n

In November 2022, a Florida jury deliberated for just over an hour before finding him guilty as charged for first-degree premeditated murder with a weapon enhancement\u00a0(Image: Court TV)<\/p>\n

Once they returned home, he seized a carving knife from a block and plunged it repeatedly into Kay\u2019s neck.<\/p>\n

Though hemorrhaging severely, she succeeded in breaking through a window and stumbling a short distance from Terry before falling in a neighbor\u2019s yard. She perished before emergency services could reach her..<\/p>\n

Upon arrival, officers found a second blood trail extending from the residence into adjacent woods.<\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Mirroring his actions five years prior after his attack on Rogers, Terry had also inflicted numerous cuts on himself. When discovered by authorities, he insisted that he had stabbed Kay \u201cin self defence.\u201d<\/p>\n

They began dating during the trial<\/h3>\n

In a haunting parallel to the 2017 court proceedings, Rogers took the stand at Terry\u2019s later trial.<\/p>\n

Despite attempts by Terry\u2019s legal team to block her testimony, the judge permitted her to appear before the jury. She described how she and Terry had been living together in March 2017..<\/p>\n

Following a St. Patrick\u2019s Day outing at a local bar, Terry\u2019s demeanor turned violent.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was taking both of his hands and grabbing my head and slamming it into the floor, so every time he would do that, my vision would go black,\u201d Rogers recounted through tears<\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\"Michelle<\/figure>\n

Michelle Rogers took the stand for the prosecution at Baker\u2019s murder trial, recounting how Terry had previously tried to kill her in 2017(Image: CHANNEL 4)<\/p>\n

Terry briefly stopped his attack to retrieve a knife from the kitchen.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe next thing you know, Mr. Terry comes around behind me and stabs me in the neck,\u201d she said..<\/p>\n

Rogers fled the residence and was discovered by neighbors, severely bleeding, who immediately contacted authorities.<\/p>\n

Though initially facing an attempted murder charge, Terry\u2019s \u201cexpensive\u201d attorney successfully had it dropped, leading to just a three-year prison term for Terry..<\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

At the 2022 trial, Justin Diaz reflected on how Kay\u2019s earlier testimony had worked in Terry\u2019s favor<\/p>\n

Their relationship lasted his three-year prison sentence<\/h3>\n

\u201cIt was a hard thing to hear to think that the woman who had died at the hands of Matthew Terry had previously gone to court, raised her right hand, had promised to tell the truth, and had defended him in a courtroom to say that ultimately he was a good guy and he would never do what he was accused of doing in Michigan,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Despite this, the jury was not swayed during the trial that followed, ultimately convicting Terry of murder.<\/p>\n

While prosecutors had initially soulty, Kay\u2019s ntervened and pushed for a life sentence instea\u201dWe\u2019re not really people who are hugely in favor of the death penalty,\u201d Kristine Empey, Baker\u2019s stepmother, shared with the Tampa Bay Times. \u201cWe just don\u2019t want him to get out.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/main><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

WARNING, GRAPHIC CONTENT: Matthew Robertson Terry\u2019s attempted murder charge was reduced to simple assault in 2017 after character witness Kay Baker testified on his behalf \u2014 five years later, Terry…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-64","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nexorpulsenews.wiki\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nexorpulsenews.wiki\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nexorpulsenews.wiki\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nexorpulsenews.wiki\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nexorpulsenews.wiki\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=64"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nexorpulsenews.wiki\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":65,"href":"https:\/\/nexorpulsenews.wiki\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64\/revisions\/65"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nexorpulsenews.wiki\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=64"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nexorpulsenews.wiki\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=64"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nexorpulsenews.wiki\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=64"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}